Yacking with Friends and Family
By: Sandy Berger Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-12-18 12:37:00-05:00
Remember sitting around the kitchen table, or hanging out on the front porch, talking for hours with friends or family? As today's Internet evolves towards more social group interaction and on-line gathering sites, it offers new and interesting ways for us to communicate with our loved ones, especially with those who don't live nearby.
Recently, AARP asked several of us to try YackPack, a new way to communicate that combines the fun of a group chat with voice-recorded email that's similar to podcasting. If you're not familiar with podcasting, it's pretty simple. You record your voice and store it on-line for others to download and listen to. However, podcasting is a one-way communication — a speaker talks and people listen. The conversation tool we tested with YackPack is a webcast that offers two-way communications, so the listeners can also be the talkers, or, in this case, "yackers," and together we created a YackCast. You can listen to our YackCast test using the link in this article's sidebar.
YackPack was developed by Dr. BJ Fogg of Stanford University. BJ is a researcher, teacher and innovator. His training is in experimental psychology, especially the psychology of using computers. At Stanford, BJ is investigating how computers can be designed to change attitudes and behaviors. In developing YackPack, he observed that voice messaging can make group interactions easier. Those who use YackPack become more unified because the human voice contains emotional cues that lead to greater understanding and trust. Sometimes it is not what you say, but how you say it that counts in a conversation.
To use YackPack, you need an Internet connection and a microphone and speakers installed on your computer. You log onto the YackPack web page, create a password, then invite others to join your private YackPack group. There is no software to install, and no typing required other than entering your password and the email addresses of those you invite. Just click, talk and send your message to one or more of those you invited into your Pack.
For my participation in the Yackcast, I used an inexpensive headset that had earphones and a microphone in one unit. In fact, I learned from this test that headset microphones return the best quality from each participant over a standing microphone that may pick up background noise from the room. You can test your speakers and microphone at AudioHelp using the link provided in this article's sidebar.
Once we started our Yackcast, the messages were played in the order in which we recorded them, much like listening to a conversation around a table or sitting on the porch. The interface was easy to learn and I was able to join in the yack at my convenience. Some in our group were traveling at the time of this test, but we didn't have to try to coordinate schedules and time zones since each member was able to contribute when they had the time.
Using YackPack can be a convenient way to hear your family and friends talking, singing and laughing, especially if you have kids in college or friends who have moved away. You could get creative by telling stories that include music or sound effects. I thought about using YackPack with members of my book club so we could discuss our opinions about the next book on our list, especially during the summer while some of our members were on vacation. You might even hear your grandchild's first word.
Related Articles in Computers and Technology
How To: Social Networking on the Internet
Life Online: Share Your View - Start Your Own Blog
Share
preview